DISCLAIMER: PW's dosage information is gathered from users and resources for educational purposes only. It is not a recommendation and should be verified with other sources for accuracy.

THJ-2201 (1-​[(5-​fluoropentyl)-​1H-​indazol-​3-​yl](naphthalen-​1-​yl)methanone) is a synthetic cannabinoid and analog of AM-2201. It has been marketed by many research chemical vendors as a legal alternative to the popular AM-2201, which had been banned in 2011.

Cannabinoids are commonly smoked or vaporized to achieve a quick onset of effects and rapid offset. THJ-2201 is orally active when dissolved in a lipid, which can increase the duration significantly. Like other cannabinoids, it is insoluble in water but dissolves in ethanol and lipids.

Chemistry

THJ-2201, or 1-​[(5-​fluoropentyl)-​1H-​indazol-​3-​yl](naphthalen-​1-​yl)methanone, is a synthetic cannabinoid drug containing a substituted indazole group. This indazole moeity is substituted at R1 with a fluoropentyl chain, a substitution shared with 5F-PB-22 and 5F-AKB48. Additionally, the indazole core is substituted at R3 with a carbonyl group which is also bonded to a napthalene moeity. Napthalene is a bicyclic structure of two fused benzene rings, and is also found in THJ-018. The carbonyl bridge of THJ-2201 classifies it as a ketone. THJ-2201 is an analog of AM-2201 in which the core indole structure is substituted with an indazole base.

Pharmacology

Although this substance has not been formally studied, from analysis of the structure, it is presumed that THJ-2201 has a similar binding profile to that of AM-2201 and matches many of the in vivo properties of Δ9-THC. As with AM-2201, this compound is believed to act as a potent full agonist to the central CB1 and peripheral CB2 receptors with Ki values of 1.0 and 2.6nM respectively. However, the role of these interactions and how they result in the cannabinoid high experience continues to remain elusive.

Subjective effects

The effects listed below are based upon the subjective effects index and personal experiences of PsychonautWikicontributors. These effects should be taken with a grain of salt and will rarely (if ever) occur all at once, but heavier doses will increase the chances of inducing a full range of effects. Likewise, adverse effects become much more likely on higher doses and may include serious injury or death.

Physical effects

Spontaneous tactile sensations - The "body high" of THJ-2201 can be described as a warm, soft, pleasurable, all-encompassing tingling sensation that spreads over the body after initial ingestion. It maintains a consistent presence that quickly rises with the onset and hits its limit once the peak has been reached before immediately dissipating.

Sedation - Generally, the effects on the user's energy levels are primarily sedating. This encourages one to relax, and (at higher doses) fall asleep. This can, however, be suppressed by simply forcing oneself to engage in physical activities.

Motor control loss - This substance causes a partial to moderate suppression of motor control which intensifies proportional to dose but rarely results in a complete inability to walk and perform basic movements.

Appetite enhancement - As with many other cannabinoids, THJ-2201 causes an increase in appetite[1], known colloquially as "the munchies" in popular American and United Kingdom culture. Clinical studies and survey data have found that cannabis increases food enjoyment and interest in food.[2] This is thought to be due to the way in which endocannabinoids in the hypothalamus activate cannabinoid receptors that are responsible for maintaining food intake.[3]

Vasodilation - Cannabinoids appear to decrease blood pressure by dilating the blood vessels, increasing blood flow throughout the body. The arteries in the eyeball expand from the decreased blood pressure, and the heart rate increases to compensate for the reduction in pressure.

Changes in gravity - THJ-2201 can cause vertigo with which the environment appears to be spinning or oscillating. At moderate to high doses, it can spontaneously induce the sensation of falling, which can be overwhelming and uncomfortable.

Nausea - THJ-2201 can induce feelings of nausea at strong to heavy doses, which can potentially lead to vomiting.

Abnormal heartbeat - This compound, like all cannabinoids, has commonly been reported to induce tachycardia in some individuals.

Dehydration- This is known colloquially as "cotton mouth" in popular American and United Kingdom culture.

Visual effects

Geometry - As reported with other cannabinoids, THJ-2201 can produce closed eye visuals at moderate doses, which can escalate into visual distortions such as a ripples in the field of vision upon continuous administration. Within users who also regularly use psychedelics, it is capable of inducing these consistently in a visual style which seems to be an averaged out depiction of all the psychedelics one has used within the past. These rarely extend beyond level 4 and are considered to be mild, fine, small and zoomed out but brighter and better defined than the geometry experienced with cannabis.

Cognitive effects

Emotion enhancement - The most prominent cognitive component of cannabinoids is the way in which they enhance the emotions one is already feeling proportional to dose. This can result in euphoria, extreme laughter, and increased immersion within tasks and activities, or it can result in anxiety and paranoia depending on the user's current state of mind.

Psychosis - The prolonged usage of synthetic cannabinoids may increase one's disposition to psychosis[6], particularly in vulnerable individuals with risk factors for psychotic illnesses (like a past or family history of schizophrenia).[7][8][9]

Auditory effects

Tinnitus - Studies have implied that cannabinoids can exacerbate the condition of tinnitus in some individuals.[10] Subjectively, this particular compound is more likely to induce this at strong to heavy doses.

Combinational effects

Psychedelics - When used in combination with psychedelics, cannabinoids are capable of intensifying and extending the duration of both the visual and cognitive effects with extreme efficiency. This should be used with caution if one is not experienced with psychedelics.

Dissociatives - When used in combination with dissociatives, the geometry, euphoria, dissociation and hallucinatory effects are often greatly enhanced.

Alcohol - When used in combination with alcohol, cannabinoids can cause feelings of extreme nausea, dizziness and changes in gravity. It is recommended that people smoke before drinking and not the other way around unless they are extremely cautious.

Toxicity and harm potential

The toxicity and long-term health effects of recreational THJ-2201 use do not seem to have been studied in any scientific context and the exact toxic dosage is unknown. This is because THJ-2201 has very little history of human usage. Anecdotal evidence from people who have tried THJ-2201 within the community suggest that there do not seem to be any negative health effects attributed to simply trying this drug at low to moderate doses by itself and using it sparingly (but nothing can be completely guaranteed).

Informal experiments have shown that overdose will cause physical discomfort including heart palpitations, vertigo and sedation at much lower than dangerous doses, usually causing the user to suffer moderate to severe anxiety or fall asleep.

It has often been recommended that those with severe pre-existing mental conditions should not ingest these substances due to the way they strongly increase one's current state of mind and emotions. Also, like THC, prolonged usage of synthetic cannabinoids may increase one's disposition to mental illness and psychosis[11], particularly in vulnerable individuals with risk factors for psychotic illnesses (like a past or family history of schizophrenia).[12][13][14]

As synthetic cannabinoids are active in the milligram range (with below 5mg being a common dose), it is important to use proper precautions when dosing to avoid a negative experience.

Tolerance and addiction potential

As with other synthetic cannibanoids, the chronic use of THJ-2201 can be considered moderately addictive with a high potential for abuse and is capable of causing psychological dependence among certain users. When addiction has developed, cravings and withdrawal effects may occur if a person suddenly stops their usage.

Tolerance to many of the effects of THJ-2201 develops with prolonged and repeated use. This results in users having to administer increasingly large doses to achieve the same effects. After that, it takes about 3 - 7 days for the tolerance to be reduced to half and 1 - 2 weeks to be back at baseline (in the absence of further consumption). THJ-2201 presents cross-tolerance with all cannabinoids, meaning that after the consumption of THJ-2201 all cannabinoids will have a reduced effect.

Legal issues

THJ-2201 was developed to bypass drug prohibition laws which have banned the possession and sale of many synthetic cannabinoids. As such, it remains legal in most of the world.

United Kingdom - THJ-2201 is a class B drug under the third-generation synthetic cannabinoids generic definition, which came into effect on the 14th December 2016 and is illegal to possess, produce, supply, or import. [18]